At Airport High School, inclusion is about more than simply being invited to participate. It is about friendship, connection and knowing you truly belong.
That belief is at the heart of the Wing Mate Club, whose mission is to promote positive social and educational interactions among students with and without intellectual disabilities while encouraging unity, cooperation, inclusion and acceptance. What began with 20 students and a simple goal of creating meaningful connections has quickly become one of Airport High School’s greatest examples of inclusion in action.
Now in its second year, the Wing Mate Club has grown from 20 Wing Mates in its inaugural year to 52 this year. But the club’s success is measured in much more than numbers. It can be seen in the friendships being formed, the smiles shared during Special Olympics competitions and the excitement students feel when their Wing Mates walk through the door.
Students in 10th grade and above can apply to become Wing Mates. The selection process includes a review of discipline and grades, along with teacher recommendations, helping ensure students are prepared to be positive and dependable partners.
For ID Mild teacher and club founder Skylar Talton, the idea for Wing Mates grew from her own experiences as a student at Airport.
“As a former Unified Partner at Airport, I learned so much through the friendships, memories and experiences I shared with our Special Olympics athletes,” Talton said. “Those experiences truly humbled me and showed me the importance of inclusion, friendship and belonging.”
When Talton created Wing Mates, she wanted to give another generation of Eagles the opportunity to have those same experiences, not just by participating alongside one another, but by forming relationships that extend beyond the classroom.
“My hope is that every student has the chance to make memories and build friendships that become an important part of their high school experience,” Talton said. “Wing Mates gives our students the opportunity to learn from one another and experience what can happen when everyone has a place to belong.”
Throughout the school year, Wing Mates spend time with students in the classroom, accompany them on community outings and compete alongside them in Special Olympics events. While those activities bring the students together, it is the friendships that grow from them that have become the heart of the club.
“The Wing Mate Club helps me make new friends,” Audrey Anderson said. “They play games with me and are true friends. They make me feel happy.”
Darwin Sadler especially looks forward to having Wing Mates join students at Special Olympics competitions.
“I love our Wing Mates!” he said. “I love to see them and getting new ones. They go with us to our bocce tournament.”
For Dayana Amaya, it is about something as simple, and as meaningful, as spending time together.
“Our Wing Mates are nice to me, and I love them,” she said. “They make me smile. I like playing basketball and having fun with them.”
Those words capture what makes Wing Mates so special. The friendships are genuine, and the impact goes both ways.
New Wing Mate Jakob Thompson said participating in Unified PE and being a Wing Mate has helped him see Special Olympics athletes “for their ability, not their disability.”
Camdyn Merchant said spending time with the students always puts him in a more positive mood, while Abigail Griffith said seeing the athletes happy “always brightens my day.”
As the club has grown, so has its student leadership. This year, Wing Mates added officers, with Rylan Bullis serving as president, Brayden Bailey as vice president and McKena Castellano as secretary.
For Bullis, being a Wing Mate is much more than another extracurricular activity.
“Wing Mate Club is more than just a club,” Bullis said. “It builds friendships, it is about making people feel included and creating memories together. I have learned that sometimes the smallest interactions can make someone’s day.”
That lesson is echoed by Cash Epps. “Being a Wing Mate isn’t about changing my classmates, it’s about building real friendships,” Epps said. “Working together helps Special Olympics athletes feel confident and included, while teaching me empathy and how to be a better leader.”
The impact can also continue long after students leave Airport. Emma Cook, a Wing Mate during the club’s inaugural year, carried those experiences with her to college. The friendships she formed and lessons she learned about inclusion inspired her to continue that involvement through the ClemsonLIFE program.
“Being a Wing Mate was such a special part of my senior year,” Cook said. “It showed me how much of an impact we can have on others, but more importantly, how much of an impact they can have on us. I will cherish those memories forever.”
For ID Moderate teacher and co-club advisor Haley Brock, those relationships are exactly what makes the program meaningful.
“Wing Mate Club provides our students with and without disabilities the opportunity to build meaningful and lifelong relationships with their peers,” Brock said. “When everyone is included, everyone wins!”
As Wing Mate Club continues its second year with more than twice as many students, members are looking forward to Special Olympics competitions, Unified Weeks, Mr. Amazing and the many opportunities, both big and small, to simply spend time together, laugh together and create memories.
In just two years, Wing Mate Club has begun creating something that reaches far beyond the halls of Airport High School. Students may join hoping to make a difference in someone else’s high school experience, but along the way, they often discover that their own lives are changed as well.
Because at its heart, Wing Mates isn’t about one group of students helping another. It is about students choosing one another as friends, and making sure everyone has a place in the Eagle family.